AK Mag Release

[Joe_Friday]

This question may have already been answered somewhere but I could not find it so here goes. I ran a few hundred rounds through my AK a couple of weeks ago and although I really liked it (not replacing my LMT though) the one thing that I did not like was the location of the mag release. Is there any replacement or aftermarket part that will extend the lever to the right so that I do not have to take the rifle away from my shoulder to change mags or am I doing something wrong. This is my first AK so the latter may be possible..... or either I need to stop trying to reinvent the wheel and just shoot it until I get used to it.

Thanks

[Carne Frio]

Jason Mock has a good one being developed. It should be ready soon.
ramsfs.com is his web site. I have three on order @ $30 each.:D

[kal]

You don't have to dismount the rifle from your shoulder to effectively change a magazine.

I'm right handed so I simply take my weak( left) hand, wrap it around the upper portion of the magazine, depress the mag release with my thumb, and rock it out. Reloading is also possible while keeping the rifle shouldered.

There are many videos on youtube demonstrating changing mags without dismounting.

[k_cheerangie]

Check the link on an emergency reload.

http://s134.photobucket.com/albums/q111/rob_s/website/081028%20SFDCC/?action=view&current=Stage2Action2ed-1.flv

Off of rob_s site tacticalyellowvisor.net.

[NCPatrolAR]

There are a few different "extended" mag releases available for the AK. I prefer to leave that portion of the gun stock and dont have any issues doing reloads with the stock release. It is simply a different skill set that has to be established.

When it comes to reloading with the gun mounted; I'm not a fan of it. What I've typically seen with people that reload AKs with the gun still mounted is the tendency for them to drop he muzzle of the weapon. As the muzzle drops, the shooter's eyes also drop and you end up having the shooter looking at the ground instead of downrange where the threat is.

I bring the gun off my shoulder and down into my work space so that the muzzle is pointed up at roughly 45 degrees and the mag well is pointed toward my left shoulder. I reload, charge the gun, then bring it back onto my shoulder.

[Joe_Friday]

[QUOTE=NCPatrolAR;339047]When it comes to reloading with the gun mounted; I'm not a fan of it. What I've typically seen with people that reload AKs with the gun still mounted is the tendency for them to drop the muzzle of the weapon. As the muzzle drops, the shooter's eyes also drop and you end up having the shooter looking at the ground instead of downrange where the threat is.[QUOTE]


Bingo! That is what I found myself doing and I know that it is just on the range but I still want to train like I would really use the weapon in defense. With my M4 I can do mag changes with the rifle still mounted and keep my eyes downrange without having it wander. I guess I am still trying to figure out if this is possible with the AK.

[IrishDevil]

I bring the gun off my shoulder and down into my work space so that the muzzle is pointed up at roughly 45 degrees and the mag well is pointed toward my left shoulder. I reload, charge the gun, then bring it back onto my shoulder.


This is what I do, with both the AK and AR. It's way too awkward to effect reload from the shoulder.

[rob_s]

I spent all of 2008 shooting virtually nothing but the AK. I can't remember off the top of my head, but I shot somewhere between 3-4k rounds through it during that period.

I started off using my support hand to grab the magazine in the gun, thumb the mag release, discard the empty, retrieve the fresh mag, and insert it and run the bolt.

I then moved to what I call the "bash the mag" technique where I would retrieve the fresh magazine, bring it up to the triggerguard, and push forward hitting the mag catch and knocking the empty magazine free, insert the fresh mag and run the bolt.

I eventually settled back on the thumbing method. I absolutely think that in the right hands the bash-the-mag technique is faster, it's nut not consistent for me. No matter how much I practiced I wound up missing the catch from time to time, which then turns the fastest-ever reload into the slowest-ever as you start flailing around looking for the catch again.

What I found in all of this is that I'm going to look down at the magwell no matter what technique I use. I was not able to get the same instinctive feel like I can get with the AR whereby I can keep my eyes on the target. Rocking the magazine into place, for me, requires that I take my eyes off the target. I also roll the carbine and reach under it to run the bolt (cut yourself on the rear sight reaching over the top just once, self correcting error). Combine the two, and it makes for a pretty decent technique that works for me, is more consistent than the bash-the-mag technique, and therefore averages out to being faster due to that consistency.

I also ultimately decided that I didn't want any kind of extended widgets on the release. I just prefer to keep it stock and deal with it. The end of my "year with the AK" was a 3-day EAG carbine class and by the end of the class I felt like I was really settling into the groove of the AK and was fully comfortable with the stock magazine release and bolt controls.

[Shihan]

I use a beer can hold on the mag and just wrap the thumb around the back of the catch to release. Its very fast however I still cant catch up to Sonny Puzikas speed.